Dr Richard Simmons is an urbanist with over 35 years’ experience of town planning, infrastructure construction, urban regeneration, land acquisition and disposal, housing and urban design; and managing a wide range of public services in the built environment, including transportation and highways, parks and open spaces, economic development, and arts and cultural development. He has worked in senior roles in central and local government and regeneration companies. He was Chief Executive of the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment, the UK government’s adviser on architecture, urban design and public space, from 2004 to 2011.